Council ‘ran out’ of cash for those who had to self-isolate
HALTON Council “ran out” of money to help people self-isolate earlier this month after just 171 people received payments.
Local MP Derek Twigg raised the issue in Parliament, telling the prime minister that funds for discretionary payments to people told to self-isolate in Halton ran out on February 10 and calling for more support.
He said: “Halton Borough Council ran out of funding for discretionary Covid isolation payments despite the strict criteria for eligibility. Just 171 constituents have been helped.
“The council has applied for further funding, but what the government have offered will not be enough. Other constituents failed to qualify for help due to the criteria set by the Prime Minister’s Government.”
The government has since provided some more funds, but Mr Twigg has said this is only enough for another 56 people in a borough that is still seeing more than 100 new cases of Covid-19 per week.
The £500 support payments are intended to help people in low-waged work self-isolate rather than risk going to work because they feel they have no alternative.
But the scheme has proved controversial, with large numbers of applicants being refused support because they do not meet the government’s strict eligibility criteria.
In neighbouring Knowsley, finance chief Cllr Jayne Aston said recently that almost twothirds of applicants had been turned down, forcing them to choose between self-isolating and being able to put food on the table.
Councils have been provided with extra money for discretionary payments to those turned down by the main scheme, but Halton’s experience shows these funds are very limited.
The 171 successful applicants represent less than 2% of all Halton’s Covid infections since the payments were introduced at the end of September 2020, although it is not known how many people applied for the payments.
Mr Twigg asked the prime minister on Wednesday (February 24): “Will he look again at this and bring forward a properly funded scheme so that no constituent is in a position where they cannot afford to isolate?
“We need this to happen if we are to continue to drive down Covid-19 infections.”
In reply, Boris Johnson suggested more support could be made available when the government announces its budget this week.
He said: “I know it has been very tough on council officials— and, indeed, on everybody else. Central government have put in another £4.3bn to help councils throughout the pandemic.
“We will continue to support our local authorities and he will be hearing more from the chancellor next week.”
In the meantime, Halton’s infection rate remains very high at around 120 cases per 100,000 people.
The borough’s director of public health, Eileen O’Meara, has previously said that workplaces are a significant source of new infections as people feel compelled to go to work, even in non-essential industries.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Mr Twigg added: “The criteria for both discretionary and mandatory isolation payments is extremely strict and narrow.
“It is disgraceful that many working people are not being properly supported when they are instructed to self isolate.
“If we are to continue driving infection rates down it cannot be allowed to continue that people are being forced to choose between whether they can afford to self-isolate or not. The government must urgently act to address this.”